BUDAPEST - The new Hungarian government on Monday submitted draft legislation to remove anti-LGBTQ++ regulations banning the “promotion of homosexuality” to minors introduced under former prime minister Viktor Orban. In the first clear sign of a pivot on LGBTQ+ issues from pro-EU conservative Prime Minister Peter Magyar, the government tabled a bill to amend a 2021 law introduced by Orban -- months after it was found to be in breach of EU values. Created as an add-on to Hungary’s existing child protection regulations, the law banned the “promotion of homosexuality” to under-18s and was later used as the basis for banning Pride marches. It outraged activists and leaders across the EU who criticized it for stigmatising LGBTQ+ people and equating same-sex relations to paedophilia. The EU’s top tribunal, the European Court of Justice (ECJ), ruled in April that the law violated “the very identity” of the bloc. The bill submitted on Monday seeks to remove references in the 2021 legislation to banning the “promotion” or “display” of homosexuality and gender transition to minors. It would instead refer simply to material that can “seriously impair the child’s physical, intellectual, emotional or moral development.” Magyar said the rules would apply “regardless of sexual orientation”, bringing the country in line with EU regulations. “We take an uncompromisingly strict stance against media content accessible to minors that promotes sexual violence, manipulation and exploitation,” he said. At elections in April, Magyar’s Tisza party won a landslide victory to end 16 years in power for Orban, who had taken one of Europe’s most restrictive approaches to LGBTQ+ rights. Campaigners have since been waiting nervously to see whether Magyar, who did not address LGBTQ+ rights during his campaign, would take a different stance. Following the ECJ ruling, police authorised this year’s Pride marches, which were banned last year under the Orban government. On Saturday, Magyar also said the government is considering changing a 2020 law that restricts adoption to married couples, effectively banning same-sex couples from adopting.
